Beauty and the Dragon
by Bluest Lion
Summary: "Anger or violence was never the path to walk upon, for there are things that must be treated with kindness and gentle care." Those were the words of a fairy enchantress he refused to listen. There isn't much time left until his humanity has been revoked and is forced to live as a living dragon for eternity. His only hope is a young beauty of the village far from his castle.
1. Introduction

Long ago, in a forest far from civilization, there stood a vampiric castle hiding within the thick trees. Within the castle was a dragon. A beast who had brought a horrific curse upon himself.

It all began when the dragon was once a prince. The prince was well respected-had dreams just like any other human. Though he had everything anyone would wish for, he was spoiled, and always had an insatiable anger that would shake anyone who was victimized in his outbursts. It wasn't until one evening, when the prince was visited by an old woman who held a single pink lily in the tips of her fingers, as if it is to be treated with care.

The woman asked the prince for shelter as a way to hide from the bitter cold, and the lily was the offering. But the gift earned a frustrated sneer from the prince and words poisoned with venom.

But the woman had warned him, that anger or violence was never the path to walk upon, for there are things that must be treated with kindness and gentle care. When the prince dismissed her warning with his venomous tongue that spat fires of violent promises, the woman had melted into a beautiful fairy enchantress. The prince begged for forgiveness, but it was too late, for the enchantress could see that there was no form of happiness in his heart. As punishment, the enchantress bewitched a curse upon the male. His hands, feet, and parts of his skin growing red scales and claws. Horns appeared on his head. Teeth sharp, like the pupils in his fire red eyes and the painful scars he had grown on his once clear tan skin were signs of wings that had formed within his back.

Because of the monstrous appearance that he had grown, the prince concealed himself away from the civilization farther away from his home. The lily the enchantress had offered, was actually the prince's life force. The lily held a single strong flame over it's delicate petals that made its representation of the time he had left before the last of his humanity is eradicated and he turns into a full dragon. If the prince could learn to be gentle towards a delicate being..and learn to love another before his 21st year, then the spell would be broken. But the prince had already lost all hope..

For who could ever love a terrifying dragon?


	2. Chapter 1

Outside the deep forest, there lived a village where civilization resided. Within the beautiful civilization, lived a young woman who left her home for a daily round through the little town to sell her flowers that she always kept in a straw basket. Today, she was happily selling away petunia's and bluebonnets, and the price was a single dime. It made her smile to find that her flowers were healthy as ever, and it made her day even better when interested customers would ask for one or two of the flowers she would sell for the day. Knowing that they would be well in a nice home or in the heart of a maiden whom a gentleman will offer.

After a moment of fixing her bright green hair into a ponytail, she left with her basket in hand and made her way to the town with an optimistic smile on her face.

Though she got along with anyone who would talk to her and tried to make friends with any of the other townsfolk, she found herself astray and much different from the others. For her interests in flowers and nature itself contrasted heavily to them. She knew she was a little different, it was mostly by the color of her hair that stuck out from the crowding marketplace like a sore thumb, but their opinions didn't stop her from doing the things she loved. And that was selling the flowers she would grow herself to make some earnings to help provide for both herself and her father. She hummed softly as she made her way through the familiar streets of the little town, giving a smile to anyone who would walk past her.

"Good morning Stella!" A young woman called, earning a happy smile from the flower girl.

"Good morning Mrs. Baker!" She replied with a happy tone in her voice before continuing onward to the busy streets of the marketplace.

"Ah! Stella! Where are you off to?" A young man asked, earning an excited smile from Stella. She couldn't help but grow excited at finding a person who seemed interested.

"Oh! I'm off to sell flowers! I'm selling blue bonnets and petunia's today! And they are a dime each!"

"Well now, that sounds like a good deal! I'll take two!"

And like that, Stella felt her mood soar when she made her first sale of the day. Two dimes now resting in the pocket of her slightly dusty apron that she wore over her dress. Her mind went up into the clouds in wonder. She wondered if the man would give the flowers to a beautiful lady he admired, or if he would plant them around his home, or maybe even put them in a beautiful vase full of water. So many wonderful possibilities. If there's one thing she knew and loved about flowers, is that each and every flower has a purpose, a name, and a meaning for themselves. Just like living creatures, flowers were very much the same. They give life for other living creatures, give the world it's color and beauty, and they always give off a sweet smell to give anyone's heart a swell of happiness and comfort.

Yes, Stella loved flowers like no other, and she hoped to someday open a flower shop of her own once her father became a world famous philosopher.

"Stella!" A woman called, earning the said girl's attention. It was the lady who ran the pottery shop a little outside the marketplace. Most of her pottery was made for decorative reasons, but she also made flower pots where Stella could grow her plants. She happily stepped in and looked around to find her inventory had changed once again. The flower pots were still for sale, and what confused her is that the pots seemed like they haven't been sold ever since she made them.

"Good morning Mrs. Evergreen, how's your husband?" She politely asked.

"Oh, Elfman is doing just fine dear," Evergreen replied, her eyes instantly catching the basket full of petunia's and blue bonnets all in a presentable fashion. "Oh my, and what have we here? Selling flowers again dear? Blue bonnets and petunia's even!"

"Yes! And they're a dime each!"

"Oh darling, you should raise your prices if your flowers mean so much value to you…'

Stella grew confused at the concerned tone in the woman's voice.

"But why? I don't want my flowers to seem like such a steal.."

"But you grew them yourself right? Outside your home? You're giving your beautiful flowers too much credit. I would say..sell them for at least a quarter."

Now that she thought about it, a quarter doesn't sound as bad as she thought it did.

"Oh...well I suppose a quarter doesn't sound all that bad!"

Evergreen gave the flower girl a smile, happy that she was willing to take her suggestion before taking three blue bonnets and giving Stella three quarters.

"Wow...it's a lot more money than usual…even better than a dime or nickel!"

"Well, I hope your sales go well today."

"Thank you ma'am!" Stella happily said before leaving the pottery store and continuing her way to the marketplace. When she got there, she felt a familiar air bustle around her as she avoided bumping into anyone who was walking the opposite direction as her.

She held her basket in front of her and kept the smile on her lips. So far, the morning had been wonderful with her making two sales before reaching the busy market area. It must be my lucky day she constantly thought as she made another sale. This time asking for a quarter which was happily received. She watched with a happy smile as the man who Stella just made a sale with gave a beautiful woman one of her beautiful petunia's and grew even more happy to find the woman accepted and absolutely loved the gift she received so early in the morning.

 _'Even though I wish someone would give me a beautiful flower to symbolize their undying love for me, just watching others receive the flowers I worked so hard to grow is more than enough.'_

With that thought, Stella made her way through the busy crowds to look into other shops. There may as well be more things to look at with the money she has now with a dollar and 20 cents.

Meanwhile, a pair of men were walking through the marketplace in hopes to find a good bar and an inn to rest in for a couple of days. They were travelers who simply had a dream of traveling the world to look for a sort of life to live in. One wished for a life of luxury, while the other wished for a life of peace and quiet. One was flashy in his style of clothing, but has gained attention from the women around him whom they all described him as handsome and gorgeous to look at. The other simply kept to himself, wearing a black cape over his clothes and kept most of his dark hair over one of his crimson red eyes. Though the second male has gained attention from the women as well, the flashy male had gained much more.

"Come on Rogue, you should definitely show yourself off a little more. You'd win more hearts that way."

"Unlike you, I'm not a womanizer."

"Youch, 'womanizer's' a harsh word. I'd much rather consider myself...a lover," The first male said, giving a single wink to a group of women gawking at the two travelers and were left swooning after.

"Stop messing around Sting. We'll only be here for a couple of days. And we don't need you having a two day girlfriend that will be given an empty promise of you returning."

"Hey! I only say that as to not break a woman's heart."

"You do realize that's a cruel thing to do. For a guy who claims to be a lover, you sure know how to break fragile hearts by telling lies that I woman will hold onto for years."

Sting flinched a bit at Rogue's harsh words and nervously laughed it off.

"Dang man, you don't hold back at all do you..?"

But Sting quickly stopped in his tracks when steel blue eyes landed on Stella, who was happily making yet another sale with her flowers. She couldn't help but feel extremely lucky that she was making more sales than usual. At this rate, the basket will be empty by early afternoon when it's supper time. She gave a bow and a happy 'thank you' before resting her basket within the crease of her elbow and counting the amount of quarters she had earned. Blue bonnets were the most popular as of now, but the Petunia's have also gained some attention with their beautiful violet color.

"Sting…?" Rogue asked, snapping his traveling friend back into reality.

"She's gorgeous…" He whispered, earning a groan from Rogue.

"Sting...we've been over this-"

"No! I really mean it this time! I've got my sights set on that pretty little thing right over there."

"I don't think you're really her type."

"Now don't say that Rogue! I swear with all my heart she's the lucky girl I'm going to marry! I've told you many times that I will someday marry the most beautiful woman in all the world, and that makes her the best!"

"You're getting ahead of yourself again Sting...you need to keep in mind that it's not all about the looks. You don't even know the woman, and she doesn't even know you exist."

Sting grew a wide smirk and chuckled; wrapping an arm around his companion's shoulders.

"She will know soon enough, and she'll fall head over heels once she gets a good look at me..~"

"I really doubt that."

Farther away from the two men, Stella had given a little girl a petunia to give to her mother, watching with a happy smile as the two hugged with joy. The flower girl grew more happy to see others happy, and the happiness was caused by the flowers she would grow. She felt as if every wish was granted whenever a flower was sold. The stronger the wish, the most likely to come true. Though she found it a little farfetched, she decided to make a wish herself when her forest green eyes landed on the town's center fountain.

She set down the basket next to the fountain and reached for a quarter in her pocket.

 _'I wish, for a life of happiness..filled with flowers, beautiful nature...and….a very kind gentleman…'_

A moment later after finalizing her wish, she watched it drop to the bottom of the fountain before taking back her basket and starting her way back home. She was hoping that on her way, she'd sell all her flowers and have plenty of earnings for the days ahead.

"Excuse me, miss."

Stella blinked and looked over towards the call of her name, finding Sting who held a tiny grin on his lips. She didn't really think much of his intentions, but she could tell he was new and was most likely a traveler with all the satchels he held on his hips.

"Oh, hello there," She said politely, watching him come closer to her. "I've never seen you around before, are you a traveler?"

"Why yes I am. You're quite the observant young lady."

"Oh, thank you."

Sting quickly noticed the basket of flowers held in her hands and grew a wide smirk.

"Oh? What have we here?" He asked, teasingly taking the basket from her hands and looking over the flowers with a small grin.

"U-Uh..may I have my basket back please sir..?"

"Please, call me Sting~"

"S-Stella..A-Anyways, Sting, can I please have my flowers back?"

With a teasing dodge, Sting raised the flower basket out of Stella's reach and looked each of them over with a curious frown.

"Honestly, how can you grow these? They take forever," Sting complained, rolling his eyes and finding how half of the flowers were gone. Both blue bonnets and petunia's.

"There's a thing called patience…" Stella mumbled under her breath, her eyes glancing away from the man. She wasn't one for snide remarks or side comments. But when she felt the need to, she would mumble them under her breath and hope that the person she was getting smart with didn't hear her words. It was a way of giving herself patience when she ended up talking to people whom she considered intolerable. And so far, Sting is the one person whom she was starting to think was a bit annoying.

The way he held his ego so high and was bursting at the seams with confidence, his use of flirting was a little uncalled for, especially when he just randomly taken the basket without any form of permission. To Stella, Sting even had the audacity to question how she could have the patience to grow her flowers, and that alone insulted her.

"Well y'know Stella, I've been going around town asking about you, and they said very good things about you...the only thing I have to wonder, is why even bother opening a flower shop?" Sting asked, shrugging and keeping his grin in place. His head made him think that Stella was secretly swooning over him due to the lack of reaction, but in reality, Stella felt the need to stay away. "I mean, come on, women don't know how to run businesses all the well like men do..and even if they did, they'd just end up with lacking success…"

So he even questioned opening a flower shop and owning a business. An even bigger insult.

"Besides, I think it's about time you got your head out of these daffodils and all the other sorts of flowers," Sting began, tossing the basket aside and causing Stella to instantly panic in worry as she quickly went to the basket and began picking up the remaining flowers that were still well and not a loss of petals. "And..maybe worry about more important things…"

Stella grimaced when she watched Sting kneel down and felt the traveler's fingers gently take a hold of her chin; lifting her vision up towards him till green connected to blue.

"Like me~"

An instant shiver ran through Stella's spine. But it wasn't a shiver of love or excitement, it was a shiver of disgust. This wasn't exactly the gentleman she wished for in the fountain, and what he considers to be his 'charms' is not winning her heart at all.

Stella took a moment to quickly stand and organize the remaining flowers in her basket. She felt sadness that she lost at least a dozen of her beautiful flowers thanks to Sting and his immature way of flirting, but at least there was plenty left for anyone who was willing to buy. The flower girl gave an upset frown towards the blonde before looking away with hopes he'll take it as a sign of disinterest.

"Sting..you're very primeval.."

"Why thank you Stella!"

Stella grimaced, now even more annoyed. "That wasn't exactly a compliment…." She mumbled under her breath before stiffening when he felt a strong arm wrap around her smaller form.

"So, what do you say I take you out on the town for the day? We can find a place to meet and more," Sting asked, his feet already leading Stella away despite her slight resistance.

"U..Uh...maybe some other time okay?"

"Sting!" A gruff voice called, and it made Sting himself frown in annoyance next. "I thought I told you not to run off like that!" It was Rogue, and he seemed quite upset to be suddenly abandoned by his traveling friend. He also seemed tired out from running around the entire market place just to look for him. Instead of a happy greeting with the bragging success of seducing a woman, Sting gave Rogue an annoyed frown.

"Rogue, I'm kinda busy taking Stella out on the town."

"Are you kidding me!? You left me alone in a crowded market for a woman whom you just met!?"

The distraction was enough to get Stella loose from the blonde's hold as she quickly got away and held the basket close, thinking quickly of an excuse to go back home despite wanting to sell a little more.

"P-Please Sting...I can't..I...I have to go home to help my father...have a good day.." She said, still wanting to be polite despite being rather annoyed with him.

"You mean that crazy old man who makes up those stories he calls philosophies!?" A villager called, snickering. "That guy needs all the help he can get!"

Sting felt his laughter couldn't be contained after the comment, finding himself reduced to hearty laughter.

"D-Don't talk about my father that way!" Stella shouted, now deciding that Sting wasn't worth another chance to redeem.

By the expression on Stella's face, Sting could instantly tell he messed up by laughing about her father.

"Y-Yeah! D-Don't talk about her father that way! J-Jerk!" He shouted towards the villager, giving Stella the quick chance to escape from the traveler's attention.

A big sigh of relief left her lips as she finally came home. She felt so drained, and walking around certainly tired her feet. As usual, the home was quiet. Sheets of paper strayed about the floor, and it made Stella smile a little to find that her father was certainly working his all to get his book of philosophies published. Deciding to help out, she gathered all the papers in her arms and made her way to his office; rasping a couple knocks before stepping in with a tiny smile. She new better than to disturb him, but she felt the need to do so to turn the papers back to him. Instead of a scolding, she found her father, sleeping soundly upon his desk. His head was resting comfortably upon the inner spine of the book and his snores were quiet.

"Oh father…" She murmured, letting out a silent chuckle as she set down the blank pages before taking off her apron and gently resting it upon his shoulders. She knew it wasn't much of a blanket, but it was something that she hoped would give him comfort.

A single kiss on the top of the head, and she was out of the study to let her father sleep in peace. She may as well tend to her small garden before preparing supper.

* * *

Her reflection glowed in his magic mirror. His only looking glass into the village outside of the thick forest that thankfully hid his haunting castle. Deep ember orbs watched the very smile she made when she found her flowers were as healthy as ever, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of hope when he watched her rest her thin and slightly tattered apron upon her father's shoulders.

He never met her, nor was he daring enough to leave his castle to find her. Not while he was in this hideously scaly state. But something inside him made him believe that she could be the one to break the spell.


	3. Chapter 2

Beer from the night before encouraged him to do this. Well that, and several drunk men his drunken self became friends with. They pretty much motivated him to use most of the money in his pouch to buy a brand new suit, and convinced most of the town that he was getting married. The suit being white as snow, and the golden bands on his shoulders, wrists and forearms were as clean as polished silver. Rogue could see that he had lost his mind, or maybe it was the leftover drunkenness. Whatever the case may be, he knew Sting lost it. Instead of trying to convince him to retreat however, he allowed Sting to learn the hard way. He could see how Stella was uncomfortable with Sting the moment he saw he had his arm around her. He held his tongue though, and decided to let Sting live in his drunk talk of his "dream coming true" and all other things he rambled on about the night before.

Now here they were, standing a few feet away from the house with Sting fixing the collar of his suit a little. He wouldn't show it, but he was nervous. Nervous beyond belief. Sting quite honestly never thought he would propose to a woman so early in his life, but he knew he will not regret it later. He was bound and determined to make Stella his wife, and nothing was going to stop him. In fact, he planned to keep asking until she said 'yes'. It will take time, since he had a feeling she'll say "no" the first few times, but he was positive she will agree eventually.

"Sting, as I've told you, you just met this woman. I doubt she will instantly want to marry you because of your confrontation with her once." Rogue said, deciding to try reasoning with him at least once despite so very badly wanting to see Sting fail.

"Nonsense Rogue! It'll be like those fairy tales we used to hear as kids! Where a handsome man, like myself, meets a beautiful maiden, they fall in love at first sight, and bada bing, bada boom, they get married and live happily ever after the next day!"

Rogue couldn't help but grow a very tiny smile and shake his head. Seems like his words come in one ear, and out the other without any time to process any logic. Though, he couldn't blame him. The two grew up together as childhood friends, and for as long as Rogue knew him, he knew Sting loved the fairy tales his mother would read him before bed. There were several occasions where Rogue would come over to his home to spend the night, and he would always see the enjoyment in Sting's eyes whenever his mother would read to them. Maturity somewhat got to the raven male a little earlier than the other however. It wasn't that he no longer enjoyed fairy tales, it's just he was somewhat forced to understand reality more than Sting did. And yet, he grew to accept that. He found he would much rather live in such reality than be stuck in a mental world where everything is compared to a fantasy. Much like his partner, Sting.

Instead of persisting, he remained silent. Just watching Sting look excited and nervous with a fond smile.

"Well..this is her lucky day, and I'm gonna make it count for the both of us."

"Good luck…" Rogue said, knowing it would be best to be as supportive as possible. He could see from a mile away that his childhood friend was going to be rejected. The very girl of Sting's affections wasn't interested in him, his advances, or his heart, and she definitely wasn't interested in being friends either. Not after the mistakes of laughing at her father, whom she clearly loved dearly; the only event that he witnessed that proved his thoughts correct. He would be god damned if she actually accepted his marriage proposal. In fact, he made a solemn vow to himself to a God above, that if he was ever wrong and Stella agreed, then lightning were to strike him dead and even create his grave while he was at it.

A slow sigh ran past his lips as he watched the blonde stand from his hiding spot behind the bushes and slick his hair back, but not too much. He really didn't want to lose the spikes he would work so diligently on every morning. Rouge wanted to say that Sting looked ridiculous in the get-up and it was a big waste of money, but then again, it was better to let him look like a total idiot, in his opinion anyway, and later laugh about it.

The tread to her door was even more nerve wracking than he thought, and when he set foot on her doorstep, Sting began to feel hesitant, and wondered if maybe he was moving way too fast into this sudden marriage proposal. He's pretty much easy to convince while drunk flat off his behind, and the drunken friends whom he was singing rugby songs with, were the ones who gave him the advice to "just go for it". To "strike the iron while it was hot", and whatever other sayings they told him that his fuzzy memory could barely remember. He felt his cheeks grow warm and gave a quick check of the scent of his breath before clearing his throat and finally mustering up the courage to knock on the wooden door of her home.

Stella's father was out of town at the current moment to gather more supplies for his book in a local market that was a little farther from town. And since that market place was bigger than the one their little town held, it was also a good place for her father to people watch and write down more of his personal philosophies. As much as Stella would love to go, she was never good with unfamiliar places and people. It always made her feel anxious. Even more anxious knowing there wasn't many whom she could talk to from where she was residing in now. Sure there was Mrs. Evergreen and her husband Elfman, but their main specialty was pottery, especially vases and plates. The only reason they made flower pots of any size, is because Stella grows flowers and on occasions, frugal goods. She was kind of a frequent customer in their shop, and when they first met, her first question was if they had flower pots available. Despite not relating to her love for watching nature grow and enjoying it's beauty, they still made flower pots for her and only her which made them grow a close bond right away.

At the current moment, Stella was just finishing placing a growing sprout into a flower pot she recently took home from Mrs. Evergreen's shop when she heard a knock at her door.

"Oh, coming!" She politely called, making sure her flower pot was at a safe distance from the small table's edge before looking through the door's peephole that her father had drilled into not too long ago. To her slight utter disgust and annoyance, she found it was Sting, who was dressed in an unnecessarily new suit. She found it was a dumb way of trying to win her over, since she never cared about the looks of a man. And yet, despite her current annoyance about yesterday, she kept her politeness in check and answered the door. She could've sworn Sting had this nervous look on his face, but it had melted into a confident smile in a matter of seconds for her to tell. Even if that were the case, it was a little hard for Stella to believe that Sting was nervous to even see her in the first place when he was so cocky and confident before.

"Oh..Sting.." Stella began, quite honestly feeling a little awkward to have him in her home when her father wasn't present. It made her feel that the occasion was a little indecent for a lady to invite a man inside without the consent of her father. But then again, her mind was kinda traveling into a guttural area and knew she needed to stay away from such..unsanitary thoughts. "What a..uh..surprise to see you.." Stella forced a tiny smile, hoping Sting could hurry up and leave.

"Isn't it though? Heh, I've been told that I'm full of surprises!" Sting replied in a cheery voice, his smile wide and a complete turn over of how he originally acted in the beginning. Which made Stella wonder if Sting had taken a hint from yesterday. But then again, if he took the hint, he wouldn't be in her home.

"You know Stella, there isn't a woman in town who wouldn't love to be in your shoes."

That earned a hidden eye roll from Stella, yet she remained patient as she crossed her arms and continued listening to what Sting had to say, who clearly wasn't finished.

"This is the day, where I make all your dreams come true!" The blond concluded with a happy smile.

"Ah..well...what could you possibly know about my dreams Sting?"

"Plenty! I'm glad you ask!"

Stella instantly regretted ever asking that.

"Here, I want you to picture this," Sting said, leaning upon the little table with the single potted sprout, only to render Stella watching in horror as the pot fell and broke with a crash, yet Sting hardly minded, in fact, he pretended nothing happened. "We open a flower shop near where we live, and we start running a business, like you wanted!"

The flower pot was one thing, but now the mention of the flower shop business that Sting made a questionable mockery of yesterday was now back on his tongue, and Stella wasn't sure what made her more angry.

"Didn't you say how women cannot open a business?"

"Well yeah, that's because the man isn't there to help her!"

"Wait what?"

"Look Stella, I know how much this flower shop means to you, and I really want to make that dream of yours a reality for you," Sting took his big, slightly gruff hands and held her smaller, softer ones with gentle care. "And while our business is up and running, you can teach the little ones how to grow plants, while I tell them all the stories of my travels as their bedtime stories! Hell, we can even get ourselves a dog they can play with! Maybe two or three will definitely do!"

"Uh...you mean the dogs right?" Stella hoped Sting wasn't implying what she thought he was, but she knew damn well she was wrong there. Sting was at the point of thinking about kids, and that quite honestly frightened her a little.

"No no! I mean a couple of handsome young boys like myself! And a beautiful baby girl! A girl that's almost as beautiful as her mother!"

While the compliment was nice and all, Stella knew it was time for Sting to leave.

"Well, that's a nice..thought Sting.." She said, quickly making her way to the broken flower pot and sweeping as much as she could into her hands before placing them in the nearby garbage bin.

"That's why I'm asking you to marry me!"

Stella froze from where she was standing, and quickly looked to Sting with wide forest green eyes.

Marry!? But they just met yesterday! What in the hell made him suddenly want to marry her!? Has he completely lost his mind!? Or was he that trapped in some fantasy world!?

"U-Uh..well..that's um...so sudden…" Stella stuttered, slowly backing up against her door and smiling nervously. This was quite honestly a situation she wasn't expecting to come around so early in her life. There are still things she wanted to do, like plant an entire garden that would last for a lifetime and opening her own business.

"I know we just met, but I can't help but feel like we're meant to be..Stella…" Sting said, pinning his hands against the door; entrapping the smaller female, which made her grow even more anxious. She will admit that opening a flower shop during her marriage with Sting was a tempting offer, but she knew better than to marry a man she didn't love just to get a shortcut. It was something her mother taught her a long time ago before she passed away, and she planned to work hard to get what she wanted, no matter the cost.

"So..will you..please marry me?"

"L-Look..Sting...that's very sweet of you that you feel that way towards me...but….but…" Stella began to grow flustered, watching the blonde lean in closer, as if wanting to hear her answer more clearly.

"I..I'm just not interested!"

With a swift step and a quick motion of the hand turning the doorknob, Sting was out the door and into a pig sty full of mud and a horrible mix of pig stools and hay. It certainly wasn't a good sight for Stella, and she will admit that she felt bad for rejecting Sting in such a way, but she did it for the sake of her dignity. It wasn't that she felt threatened by his presence, just the fact that he was leaning in closer, as if about to take her first kiss without much of her consent made her grow incredibly flustered, and that one shot of adrenaline made her quick thinking come in handy.

"Sorry…" She muttered, quickly slamming the door and locking it in hopes Sting wouldn't come straight back. Especially not in the disgusting state he was in now.

Meanwhile, Rogue was trying his hardest to not break into a loud fit of laughter. It had been so long since he laughed this hard, yet he tried to contain it, out of respect for Sting, but goddammit it was too difficult. Once he stepped out and quickly helped Sting out of the pig pit, his laughter was released from the barrier of his lips and it made him hold his stomach from how hard he was laughing.

"Yeah yeah laugh it up…" Sting said, sighing heavily and wiping away the mud from his face and seeing as how his crisp, clean white suit had been soiled.

"S-So..h-how'd it...go?" Rogue managed to choke out before breaking into a loud fit of laughter once again.

"Hmph, she's just playing hard to get," the other replied, crossing his arms and trying not to let his humiliation get to him so badly.

"Yeah...heh heh..yeah...I'm sure she is…"

Rogue snickered and shook his hand to keep the stench as far away from him as possible.

"You really need a bath Sting.."

"You think!?"

* * *

She kept her back pressed to the door, and she waited. She waited for however long she felt was necessary, keeping her head turned to the side so her ear could press upon the wooden texture of her door and be able to hear all the happenings on the other side. She figured it wouldn't be a good idea to go out through the front door, so the back door was certainly the better way out of a situation such as this.

* * *

He watched them closely; waiting patiently for the two males to leave and kept himself hidden within the shadows of the thick trees hovering above him. The forest, despite holding demons running amok the grounds, was always a good spot to hide and watch the fellow townsmen from afar. But his focus was no longer placed on the singular citizens of the little town. His focus now remained in the sights of the young woman who lived in that single little cottage far off from the little town's market.

He watched her slip out the back of her home with caution, and take a peek around the corner to see if the blonde male had left before sighing in relief and making her way to the small garden she was growing. He watched her talk to her plants as if they were human and tended to them with water and light ounces of fertilizer, and he watched her open the gates of her small fence and quickly rush out into the open meadow, as if trying to savor the feeling of freedom.

His strong legs helped him follow close behind, his eyes remaining locked upon the green haired woman.

He couldn't remember feeling this way towards anyone, but he was positive, that with her help, she could break this curse. This horrible curse that rendered him into a hideous state.

An idea flew over his head, yet he hesitated.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to approach her. Not in this monstrous form.

So then...how could he calm this insatiable craving of wanting to reveal himself to her? How can you calm the flames of frustration that would boil in the back of one's mind? Would it be best to keep watching? Would it be better if she just never knew him and accepted the fate as his punishment for all the misery he caused? Or would it be better if he just kept himself anonymous and disguised as a townsfolk just to see her happiness. Even if it was just one time.

But then again...it really wouldn't be worth it if he were to exchange words with her once. In fact, it would only leave him wanting more, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Damn…" he growled under his breath, his sharp claws scratching down the tree bark as an outlet to his current frustration.

Why was this so damn difficult? Maybe it was because he never had human interaction in years? Or..was it because he was scared..? Scared to end up frightening a young woman because of his explosive personality. Thinking about the reasoning however, only frustrated him even further, and he hated how a lot of things frustrated him to a certain extent.

It was then he decided to come to this another time. For now though, it was time to head back. There was no longer much point in staying if all he was going to do is become frustrated with everything, even his own thought process.


End file.
